FLOTUS: Debates like watching Olympic balance beam

10/19/12 12:40 PM EDT

First lady Michelle Obama still gets nervous while watching her husband debate, she said in a lighthearted interview airing Friday.

"I compared it to the Olympic parents watching their kids on that balance beam," Obama said on "Live with Kelly and Michael." "You know, lots of clenching."

During Tuesday's debate at Hofstra University, the first lady was squirming a bit, but she did her best to stay calm. "You know they really caution you to be quiet, and I try to follow the rules so I don't get in trouble. But it's, you know, it's part of the process, and it's an important part of the process." Conservatives criticized Obama this week for clapping during a debate exchange on exactly when the president first referred to the attack on four Americans in Libya as an "act of terror."

Most of the interview was even lighter.

To mark first dog Bo's fourth birthday earlier this month, the Obamas hosted a small party. Malia and Sasha were "concerned Bo wasn't getting enough doggy interaction, so after a week of campaigning we had five dogs on the South Lawn with doggy treats and moms and kids and snacks and treats," the first lady said.

Obama said her guilty pleasure is eating French fries and, when it comes to reality TV, "I do love a little 'Real Housewives' every now and then."

Asked about the president's choice of underwear -- boxers or briefs -- the first lady was coy. “Oh,” she said with a pause. “None of the above.”